After the autumn rain, the sky cleared up and a grand drama was about to end. The flower hall returned to peace, with only drops of rain falling from the eaves, like a transparent rain curtain hanging above.

Aunt Cai walked out from behind the rain curtain and suddenly saw a figure passing by the wall. She was startled and quickly rushed over to grab her, shouting in a low voice, "Why are you here?"

Xiao Zhixuan raised her tearful eyes and stared at Aunt Cai. Her dark pupils were filled with disappointment, anger, and deep sorrow. Aunt Cai was startled by her gaze and could not help but lower her head to avoid her sharp gaze.

Xiao Zhixuan said coldly: "I finally understand why you asked me to stay in the room and help you copy books today. It turns out that you were afraid that I would discover your ugly deeds? You, why are you..."

Before she finished, Aunt Cai covered her mouth with her hand and said in a trembling voice: "If you want your mother to die, just shout as much as you want. Don't you know who I'm doing this for?"

There was a look of struggle in Xiao Zhixuan's eyes. She clenched Aunt Cai's arm tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force. Several emotions flashed through her eyes, and finally she softened and resigned herself to letting Aunt Cai pull her into the room.

Aunt Cai sent away all the maids at the door and slammed the door shut, then turned around and said anxiously, "Xuan'er, listen to my explanation. Mother has her own difficulties."

Xiao Zhixuan was angry and hurt. She stared at Aunt Cai as if she were a stranger, her voice sharp and sad, "What kind of hardship did you have to poison my eldest brother and frame my eldest sister-in-law!"

Aunt Cai's face changed, and she said, "So this is the kind of person you think mother is?" She laughed at herself again, and said, "What kind of person is your eldest brother? Do you think I have the ability to poison him?"

Xiao Zhixuan was stunned. She had not thought of this in her rage, and she was a little shaken at this moment. But she quickly changed her mind and asked coldly: "Even if the poisoning of my brother has nothing to do with you, what about my sister-in-law? You tampered with the sachet. I asked Gui He, and she said that you locked yourself in the room after returning to your room. After a while, you did not allow any maids to follow you and went to the princess's courtyard alone. Later, my sister-in-law was called away. Do you dare to say that this matter has nothing to do with you?"

Aunt Cai sighed, her eyes flickered as she said, "Xuan'er, I told you not to interfere in this matter, just let mother handle it, why don't you listen?"

This was tantamount to tacit consent. Xiao Zhixuan was so angry that she could not speak. She just glared at her fiercely. Aunt Cai looked at her for a long time, with a sad look on her face. She said, "This matter is much more complicated than you think. Anyway, the Marquis is unconscious now, and the Madam is also in danger. No one will know about our affairs. When the ban in the mansion is lifted, I will find a way to leave. Without a mother full of stains like me, you can be at ease as a lady in the Marquis' mansion. Your elder brother and father have always loved you since you were a child, and they will definitely not make things difficult for you."

Xiao Zhixuan was stunned by what she said, and forgot her anger for a moment. She asked in a trembling voice, "Mom, are you going to leave me?"

Aunt Cai felt sad and wanted to reach out to hug her, but Xiao Zhixuan took a step back and turned her head away stubbornly. Aunt Cai had no choice but to withdraw her hand, comb her hair, and said, "Mother can't bear to leave you, but if it comes to the last resort, the best thing to do is to leave. But before I leave, I won't let that person have an easy time. Now the water in the mansion is turbulent, maybe if we fight for it, things can turn around."

Xiao Zhixuan stepped back in a daze and fell on the kang, tears welling up in her eyes. She felt helpless and lost. She buried her head in her arms and cried for a long time before she raised her head and murmured, "But what about my sister-in-law? She can't be wronged like this."

Aunt Cai shook her head and said, "Silly child, we can't even protect ourselves now, why do you still care about her? Do you think she is unaware of your elder brother's attempt to test you? Have you forgotten how you offended her before? If she gains power and becomes the head of the family in the future, won't it be even more difficult for you to get along in the mansion?"

Xiao Zhixuan shook her head desperately with red eyes, saying: "No, my sister-in-law is not that kind of person. Mother, I beg you, please save my sister-in-law. If this crime is proven, my sister-in-law will die!"

Aunt Cai said coldly, "If you want to protect her, I have to stand up and admit that I did it. Do you think mother will still be alive by then?" She closed her eyes sadly and said, "Between mother and her, you choose one!"

Xiao Zhixuan's eyes showed despair, and she lowered her head in pain, not knowing what to do for a moment...

Early the next morning, Luo Yuan patted the dew off his body, lifted his robe and stepped out of the house. He was about to report to the Hanlin Academy when he suddenly saw a familiar figure rushing towards him from the side.

When he saw the person clearly, he couldn't help but exclaimed: "Miss San, why are you here!"

Xiao Zhixuan's clothes were all covered in mud, her hair was disheveled, her eyes were swollen from crying, and she said to him in a sad voice, "Mr. Luo, you must save my sister-in-law!"

Luo Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately turned around and said calmly, "The family affairs of the Marquis' Mansion have nothing to do with me. I am no longer a master of the Marquis' Mansion, so why does the Third Miss need to come to me? It's cold and dewy here, be careful not to hurt yourself, Third Miss should go back quickly."

Xiao Zhixuan kept shaking her head and said, "Mr. Luo, I know I was wrong before, and I also know that there would be no chance of compromise between you and my sister-in-law! But the situation is critical now, and only you can save her. Please help her!" After that, she walked to Luo Yuan and whispered to him how Xiao Du was poisoned and how Yuan Xi was framed. However, she deliberately omitted the real culprit and only said that there was an evil person behind the scenes. She hoped that he would think of a way for Yuan Xi to escape.

Luo Yuan's palms began to sweat as he heard this, but he looked at her suspiciously and said, "Such a big thing happened, how did you get out, Miss?"

Xiao Zhixuan was stunned for a moment, knowing that he would never believe her, her face immediately turned red and she said, "I am very familiar with the terrain of the mansion. Today... I crawled out of a dog hole!" After all, she was the daughter of the Marquis's mansion. When she talked about such a shameful thing, her face turned red with shame and she didn't dare to look up at him.

Luo Yuan pondered for a long time, sighed again, and said: "Luo really sympathizes with Mrs. Xiao's experience, and I also understand that Miss Third is eager to save her sister-in-law, but Luo really loves me and can do it, so Miss Third, please go back." After that, he walked straight past her and prepared to walk forward.

Xiao Zhixuan was so anxious that she didn't care about anything else. She grabbed his arm and said, "After all, Mr. Luo still doesn't believe me, right? I, Xiao Zhixuan, swear that I came here only to save my sister-in-law. If I have any other intentions, I will be punished by having a sore mouth and tongue, and my intestines will rot and I will die tomorrow."

Luo Yuan turned around and looked at the resolute expression on her still childish face. His eyes gradually became complicated. After a while, he asked, "Do you really want to save your sister-in-law?"

Xiao Zhixuan nodded quickly and said earnestly, "Please help me, Mr. Luo."

Luo Yuan retracted his gaze and said slowly, "Then you can tell my wife a message for me. No matter whether the situation is good or bad, as long as she remembers her original intention, she will not be trapped. I once taught her a poem: 'Yao Huang's nature is as pure as heaven, but her roots are buried in the dung and her spirit is not peaceful.' If she can understand this truth, she will be able to find a bright path in the fog."

Xiao Zhixuan frowned in confusion, and just as she was stunned, Luo Yuan suddenly said in a serious tone, "Miss San, please remember this clearly. I will say it again, and you must remember to tell Madam word for word."

Xiao Zhixuan came back to her senses, as if she finally understood something, and nodded excitedly, taking notes carefully. The sun slowly peeked out from the clouds, slowly lengthening the figures of the two people in front of the door.

"Yao Huang's nature is as pure as that of a god, but his roots are buried in the dirt and his temper is restless." Yuan Xi repeated this to herself in her heart, and then looked at Xiao Zhixuan, who was sitting in front of her with a disheveled appearance but eyes shining with excitement. She also felt very confused.

Xiao Zhixuan was afraid that she would not believe her, so she cursed and swore, almost crying in anxiety, and said, "Mr. Luo really said this at the time, and asked me to write it down carefully, saying that as long as you think about it carefully, you will definitely understand it. Sister-in-law, you must believe me!"

Seeing how anxious she was, Yuan Xi knew that she was really sincere this time, and she was moved. Moreover, this poem was indeed taught to her by the young master, and she vaguely remembered that it seemed to be about peonies.

Her eyes slowly moved to the window, and she suddenly woke up, remembering what Xiao Du once said, "Next spring, a field of yellow peonies will bloom outside your window." "If I am gone, let these flowers accompany you on my behalf."

Yao Huang, peony, manure... Could it be that something is buried under the yellow peony? Yuan Xi clenched her hands tightly, her heart beating wildly. But why did the young master know this? And why did he tell her through Xiao Zhixuan?

She was very excited and full of doubts, and couldn't make a decision for a while. At this time, Xiao Zhixuan saw that she looked strange and asked hurriedly, "Sister-in-law, have you remembered anything?"

Yuan Xi looked back at her, hesitated for a moment, and finally forced a smile and said, "Not yet. Maybe I need to look up some books and think about it. You've worked hard today. Go back to your room and change your clothes and rest. If there is any clue, I'll let An He notify you."

Xiao Zhixuan also understood that she must be looking very miserable now. Just now, because she was anxious to bring a message to Yuan Xi, she nodded, held her hand and said many comforting words before leaving reluctantly.

Yuan Xi saw her figure walking away from the window, and quickly called Li Ma and An He, saying, "Go dig under the Jiao Huang tree that the Marquis planted himself in the yard to see if there is anything buried there."

She changed her mind and called them back, "Wait a minute, wait until night when no one is around, and be careful not to get discovered."

Late at night, two figures appeared under the ginkgo tree in the yard. They were holding a small shovel and carefully turning the soil, trying their best not to touch the roots of the flowers. Fortunately, they dug up a hard object after not turning for a while. They showed surprise on their faces and hurriedly used their hands to carefully dig out the object. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a ring engraved with a snake pattern, which glowed faintly silver under the moonlight.